Two Pacific Fleet formations are fully equipped with modern submarines
Two formations of submarines of the Pacific Fleet have been 100% re-equipped with new equipment, said Admiral Viktor Liina, commander of the Pacific Fleet. One of them is the 19th Submarine Brigade, based in Vladivostok. It is important for the defense of the country's Far Eastern borders. Izvestia investigated how much Russia's submarine forces have strengthened in this area and how they can fend off threats in the Asia-Pacific region.
19th Submarine Brigade of the Pacific Fleet
The brigade solves important tasks of combating surface, underwater and coastal targets of a potential enemy in the waters of the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk. However, boats from its composition can operate in other regions of the Pacific Ocean. South Korea and Japan, which are unfriendly to us, are located in these waters. They are actively developing their surface and underwater forces.
The Red Banner Black Sea Fleet of the USSR Navy during exercises on the Project 613 submarine, 1969
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Vladimir Perventsev
The history of the 19th Submarine Brigade began in Polyarnoye on the Kola Peninsula. At that time, several special-purpose expeditions were transferring newly built warships, auxiliary vessels and submarines to the Pacific Fleet via the Northern Sea Route. And so in the spring of 1957, the 19th brigade was formed to transfer a group of submarines as part of a special purpose expedition. After her arrival in Vladivostok in October 1957, she became part of the 40th Submarine Division and included nine ships of Project 613. From that time to this day, the brigade's boats have been based in Maly Ulysses Bay in Vladivostok. Later, the 40th Division was increased to the 6th Submarine Squadron. Representatives of the 613 project were replaced by ships of the 641 project.
The brigade solved the tasks of combat service in the vast Pacific Ocean, in particular in the Philippine Sea. Then she began to solve problems in the Indian Ocean. American nuclear submarines with George Washington-class ballistic missiles were based in the Philippine Sea, and the task of the ships of the 19th Brigade was to search for them, detect them, and in the event of war, destroy them.
Submarine Yakutsk is the sixth ship of Project 636 for the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy, on February 21, 2025.
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Artyom Pryakhin
Since 1981, the brigade began to receive new-generation boats of the 877 project, also known as Varshavyanka. In the late 1980s, as part of the reduction of the army and navy of the Soviet Union, the 6th Squadron was disbanded, and the 19th Brigade became part of the Primorsky Flotilla of Heterogeneous Forces on April 1, 1990. In 2011, the 182nd Submarine Brigade based in Kamchatka was disbanded, and its naval personnel was transferred to Maly Ulysses Bay. The unit consisted of eight submarines at that time. But we must remember that these were submarines built in the 1980s and early 1990s. In the 2000s, they already needed repairs and upgrades. The Russian Navy has attempted to modernize a number of Project 877 boats, and three of them have been updated. But later, the command of the Russian Navy decided to buy new ships of project 636. The Black Sea Fleet was the first to receive a brigade of such boats. The second batch of six submarines was ordered for the Pacific Fleet, and the contract was signed on the sidelines of the Army-2016 forum. Construction began in 2017 at the Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg.
How are the naval personnel of the 19th Submarine Brigade being updated?
The first two boats, Petropavlovsk—Kamchatsky and Volkhov, arrived in Vladivostok on November 30, 2021. The crossing took place by the Southern Sea route through the Mediterranean Sea, the Indian and Pacific Oceans. In December of that year, the first firing of the Kalibr missile system took place in the Pacific Fleet. The third boat, the Magadan, arrived at its base on October 9, 2022. The transfer was performed by the Northern Sea Route for the first time for a non—nuclear submarine in more than 60 years.
Submarines of project 636.3 Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Volkhov, which arrived at the main base of the Pacific Fleet in Vladivostok on November 30, 2021
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Ankov
On November 25, 2022, the Magadan submarine fired Kalibr missiles simultaneously at land and sea targets. This is a rather difficult combat task.: During it, it is required to prepare various flight tasks, ensure missile flight control, and close target areas.
The Ufa, which arrived in Vladivostok on December 19 last year, became the fourth boat to arrive at the Pacific Fleet. During her transition, she solved the tasks of combat service in the Mediterranean Sea, made a number of calls at foreign ports. On March 26 of this year, the boat fired simultaneously at coastal and marine targets. The videos shown by the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed the exact hit. By the end of the year, the fifth boat, Mozhaysk, will arrive in Vladivostok. And at the end of 2026, the Yakutsk submarine will join the crew.
The statement of the commander of the Pacific Fleet about the rearmament of the brigade suggests that all Soviet-built Project 877 boats have already been decommissioned. With the exception of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, which has undergone modernization.
Komsomolsk-on-Amur Project 877 submarine
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Ankov
Thus, by the end of next year, the 19th brigade will have seven submarines - six ships of Project 636 and Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
Why do we need such shooting at coastal and marine targets at the same time? Such an unfriendly country as Japan has claims on the Southern Kuril Islands. In recent years, it has been actively strengthening its armed forces and, in particular, the naval component. Contrary to the prohibition in its own Constitution to have offensive weapons, Japan currently has four essentially light aircraft carriers. These ships "Izumo", "Kaga", "Hyuga" and "Ise" can carry F-35B fighters, tiltrotor planes and helicopters on board. Japan's submarine forces are also actively developing, amphibious ships and destroyers are being built. At one point, the authorities of this state may risk conducting an airborne amphibious operation to occupy the islands. In this case, the new boats of the 19th brigade, armed not only with torpedoes, but also with long-range cruise missiles, will be useful.
Izvestia reference
The Project 636 submarine has the following characteristics:
- displacement underwater/surface — 2350/3100 tons,
- length/width/draft — 73,8/9,9/6,2 m,
- surface/underwater speed — 11/20 knots.
The boat can dive to a depth of 300 m.
The autonomy of navigation is 45 days.
The crew consists of 52 people.
It is armed with six torpedo tubes with ammunition for 18 missiles or torpedoes.
Dmitry Boltenkov
Roman Kretsul
